Pretty Maids All In A Row
by Kryss LaBryn
Summary: Alice invites Chise to a costume party; Chise can't find a costume that's not a SEXY costume; and Elias decides to invite himself along and show them how it's done. Mostly to annoy Alice.
1. Chapter 1

"What has you so engrossed this evening?" Elias asked, curious. The sight of Chise staring intently at her new phone was becoming a usual one to the poor mage, who was feeling rather ignored (although he was quite happy to have her engrossed in an actual book while he sat in his usual chair, reading himself; he supposed that the gentle sound of turning pages was less disruptive to him than the rather more erratic movements constantly catching the corner of his eye as she herbivored her phone. —No, wait, that was the wrong term, wasn't it? She had laughed rather heartily (for Chise) at his prior usage of the term, and gently corrected him. Browser, that was it. As she browsered her phone).

But this evening she was browsering her phone rather more vigorously than usual, with an intent scowl on her face as she energetically and rapidly ran her fingers all over the infernal, distracting device. "Chise? —Chise!"

"Mm?" She finally looked up. "Sorry, Elias; I was distracted. What did you say?"

"What has you so engrossed in your phone?"

"Oh, heh." She scowled, blushed, and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes with a depreciating laugh. "It's Aliceween. _Hallowe'en._ With Alice." She blushed a little harder. "She wants me to go to a thing with her and I'm trying to find a costume online but—" She scowled down at her phone again. "All these—I just—I can't find one that suits me," she finished lamely.

"Oh?" Elias's jaws parted in curiosity. "May I see?"

Chise twitched as though fighting a momentary urge to clutch the phone to her chest. "Well, ha ha, most of these really are terrible," she said. "I can't really find what I'm looking for."

Elias rose, placing his book on his chair, and sat beside her on the sofa, attempting to see the tiny screen from the awkward angle. "And what are you looking for?"

Chise's eyes widened and she tilted the screen away. "Well, Alice thought with my red hair that a Little Red Riding Hood costume might be appropriate. She seemed to think it funny somehow but she wouldn't tell me why."

"Ah. I suspect she is envisioning me as your Big Bad Wolf."

"My—what?"

"Are you familiar with the story?"

"No..?"

"Mm. Well, the short version is that a young girl, dressed in her favourite red hooded cape, which has earned her the nickname 'Little Red Riding Hood,' doesn't listen to her mother about not talking to strangers as she is walking through the woods to visit her sick grandmother, and tells a wolf she meets all about where she is going and why. He races ahead of her, gobbles up her grandmother, and impersonates her. Little Red Riding Hood falls for the deception, and is also gobbled up by the wolf. Depending upon the version, sometimes a friendly woodcutter comes by and sees the wolf with his belly dragging on the ground, and cuts them both free. It is a traditional cautionary tale."

"Oh. Um… what happens in the other versions?"

"There is no woodcutter. What is a cautionary tale without unpleasant consequences?"

"Ah. Yes."

"So. Let me see these terrible, unsuitable costumes."

This time she did clutch her phone to her chest. "These ones really are… unsuitable."

"Chise…"

She sighed. "Fine. You don't need to use your teacher voice." She tilted the screen back towards him. "See?"

"Hm. They seem to be a decent quality, if somewhat more abbreviated than the fairy tale book illustrations I've seen."

"Yes, that's the problem!" She blew out a frustrated gust of air. "They're all sexy! Sexy Little Red Riding Hood. Sexy Alice in Wonderland. Sexy Pirate! Sexy Witch! I can't just find a normal costume! They're all sexy!"

"And that is bad?"

"It is if that is _all _I can find! I would like to have the skirt not stick straight out from my hips, thanks. Besides, I just don't have the—the, uh—" She gestured vaguely at her torso. "—The right _shape _for most of these. But I'm too tall for the children's outfits!"

"Silky would be happy to make you something, if you showed her what you wanted."

"I know, I know." Her shoulders slumped. "But she's already cooking for us, and doing most of the cleaning, and laundry, and everything else, and I don't want to impose on her." Her shoulders slumped.

"You do a lot of the cleaning and laundry and everything else too," he pointed out, quite reasonably.

"I know. But still…"

Elias was silent for a moment. "What about the men's costumes?"

"Oh, _they're_ fine. _They _cover everything but their faces! Sometimes even those!"

"Oh? Let me see. Perhaps there is a Little Red Riding Hood costume that is more appropriate there?"

Chise snorted. "Not likely. She's a girl costume. Look." She poked at the screen for a minute. "See? All the Red Riding Hood costumes are girls. Even some of the wolves are!" She fell silent for a moment. "Oh! The Big Bad Wolf!" She grinned. "The wolves make a lot more sense now, heh."

Elias looked at the screen. Sure enough, there were several rather baggy, full-length wolf costumes, mostly posed in what he supposed must be amusingly poor attempts at threatening stances. They mostly looked rather silly, and none of them looked in the least bit threatening. A few of them did match the Little Red Riding Hood costumes quite well, though. "What about that one?" he asked, indicating a grey Sexy Wolf costume complete with furry, eared hood, furry leggings, "medieval" velvet mini-dress, and a rather plush, long furry tail.

"That one's the wolf, Elias. And it won't fit me."

"No, I meant for me."

Chise gave him a rather glassy, extremely wide-eyed stare.

"Well, if I am to be your Big Bad Wolf…"

"I. Iiiii. Um. I, uh, I think Alice was more sort of envisioning your, uh, more wolf-like form. And I don't think she actually meant for you to come like that…"

"Well, no, of course not. And I'm certainly not wearing one of _those_." Most of the men's costumes were downright insulting, even if one or two did seem to be at least _trying _to be well-dressed.

"But—I mean—but...What about something like that one?" Chise asked, somewhat desperately, so far as he could tell, pointing to one of the well-dressed, grey-suited men in a domino wolf's mask. "Wouldn't that suit you more?"

"Chise, if I am going to wear a suit with a wolf's head mask, then what on earth would be the point of dressing up at all?" He asked calmly. "No, I think I would look rather fetching in this one." Chise gaped at him. "And you should wear that one."

"What? No, I—"

"No, look; it has a higher collar than the rest, and a more flattering bodice for your shape, and a full-length skirt."

"But—"

"You should order it immediately."

"What?"

"Unless… _This _one does have a rather attractive bodice as well, and skirt, even if it is short..."

"No! No, um, yes, that first one will do me fine, thanks!" She all but snatched the phone out of his grasp, once more poking furiously at it again.

"Then I have been of help?"

"Sure. Absolutely. Yes. Definitely. Thank you."

"Excellent. Please order me the wolf costume as well. I am quite looking forward to it."

_Alice thoroughly deserves this, _he thought rather smugly to himself, not realizing he was echoing Chise's own thoughts almost precisely.

* * *

A/N: This (obviously) started out as a rather tongue-in-cheek Hallowe'en fic-and then it took me so long to come up with a title that I considered simply waiting until _next_ Hallowe'en and posting it then! Hallowe'en doesn't actually play much of a part in it, you see, beyond giving me an excuse to dress them up. However, I was afraid that by then something would happen in the manga that would make all of this even more improbable than it already is.

So I finally figured out a title, several months too late, and posted it. Aaand then realized a few weeks later that I was probably thinking of "Three Little Maids From School Are We" instead, lol. Oh well! XD The damned things finally up, at least!

I'm working on the second chapter, and there _might_ be a third, so it's not done yet! ~Kryss


	2. Chapter 2

Chise could hear the pounding music as soon as they entered the hallway. Alice's door was propped open, and a crowd of laughing, costumed students spilled in and out of it and several other nearby dorms.

Too many people. There were far too many people, students she didn't know and ones she did, but no one she knew well , that she was comfortable around. She tried to hang back, clutching her thin red velvet cloak more tightly around her; but Elias didn't even break stride; he just headed straight towards the nearest open door, his illusion's default, secretive smirk playing over his imaginary lips.

When he realized she was no longer beside him, though, he paused, his violet eyes glancing a query at her as he took in her form, still huddled in on herself, half hiding around the corner. "Chise?" he asked, the voice of this feminine form a smooth alto instead of his usual rich bass, "Are you coming?" He held out his pale hand to her.

Well. Uncomfortable as she was, she still couldn't just leave him hanging. Reluctantly she approached, nervously smoothing the long red skirt as she caught up, and took hold of his waiting hand. He gave hers a reassuring squeeze which she gratefully returned as his eyes twinkled amusement at her. How strange to be looking straight into his face . He didn't look like Elias, didn't sound like him— certainly he wasn't dressed as usual; but at least he still smelled like himself. And the warmth of his hand, even if it was so much smaller than usual, the possessiveness with which he held hers, was still the same. She snuggled closer, seeking comfort.

"You'll be fine," he murmured as their approach was noticed.

"Hey, Chise!" called a voice from the group milling in front of the nearest door, and a Greek goddess, a student from her magus class, she realized after a moment, came up to them, grinning. "Great to see you! Who's your girlfrie—Professor Ainsworth? Is that you?" Her smile faltered slightly as she recognized her teacher.

" Ainsworth?! Oh no, no way is that bonehe—heh... heh heh heh..." Alice stopped dead as she caught sight of the pair, her eyes going round with disbelief as she pushed her green hood back for a better look. "Oh. My. God." She snorted with barely-suppressed laughter. "Ainsworth. You look adorable ."

"Professor Ainsworth is here?" someone stage-whispered behind her.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. You two, hold still," Alice directed as she dug beneath her tunic and fished out her phone. "There's no way I'm not getting a picture of this."

"Um..." Chise glanced nervously at Elias, wondering if the phone would capture the illusion or not— and what would it look like if it doesn't? I'm pretty sure he's wearing that costume for real —but he seemed unconcerned, slipping a possessive arm around her waist and leaning in with a smirk.

"Chise! Smile!" barked Alice, making her jump. "No, like you mean it! That's better!" She tucked her phone away with a very large grin. "I'll text those to you later. Heh. So!" She clapped her hands. "You made it! Great! I was afraid you might bail on me. Let me see!" She nodded approvingly as Chise did a slow, obedient twirl. "Very nice! See? I told you red was your colour. It's perfect!" She turned to Elias with a smirk as Chise stuttered her thanks. "So. Ainsworth. I was expecting Ruth; but for this outfit, I'll forgive you. The fishnets are a bold choice. Nice legs."

She turned suddenly, making the quiver on her back swing, and strode away, calling back over her shoulder, "Come on and get a drink!"

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Elias grinned, as Chise let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Keeping his arm tucked firmly about her waist, he led her onward.

"Er, Elias," Chise murmured, trying to hang back a bit, "Are teachers allowed to hang out with students like this?"

"It's probably fine," he assured her, in a most unreassuring way. "I assume that if it's a problem Renfred will be sure to shout at me about it."

Well, that was certainly hard for Chise to argue with. But... "But I thought you didn't like it when he shouted at you? You said it was tiring."

"Mm. Perhaps I'd better..." He frowned for a moment, and his form wavered slightly, his violet eyes now a pretty pale blue, his pale blonde hair shifting to mauve. "Is this different enough?"

"I—I guess..?"

"Chise! Are you coming or not?" Alice wormed her way back to them, open green bottles in hand. "You've got your choice of an IPA..." she hoisted one bottle, "...Or an IPA," waving another.

"Eye-pee-ay?" echoed Chise in confusion.

"IPA! Excellent choice!" Alice handed one over, and passed another to Elias as he murmured, "Indian Pale Ale," to Chise.

"Yeah, beer. Bottoms up!" She took a healthy swig from her own and swished it around contemplatively as she regarded Elias. "You changed."

"Yes. We weren't sure of the College's attitude towards student-teacher fraternization."

"Mm. Plausible deniability. I like it." She winked at Chise, who was cautiously sniffing the bottle. "So I guess this is your new girlfriend, uh, Ellie, then? Does Ainsworth know you're cheating on him?" She snickered and tucked her arm through Chise's. "God, it's just beer. Take a swig or don't, but it's not going to bite you."

It was a bit awkward to manoeuvre the bottle with Elias— Ellie —embracing her on one side and Alice holding her arm on the other, but she managed a tentative sip. "Mm. It's bitter."

"No, I told you, it's an IPA—Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I guess, if you aren't used to it." Alice shifted course towards another room. "We can turn it into a shandy if you like."

A few beers-and-Sprites later, and Chise was feeling relaxed and comfortable enough to ask Alice what her costume was.

"Robin Hood, of course!"

"Robin Hood?"

"Yeah—you know Robin Hood, right? Take from the rich, give to the poor... They've heard of him in Japan, right?"

"No—I mean, yes, of course I've heard of Robin Hood! I mean why; you said you were coordinating your costume with mine?"

"I am!" Alice beamed. "Robin Hood," she pointed to herself, and her long green hooded cloak; "Red Riding Hood!" And she pointed to Chise's.

"Ah, of course."

"Plus they're both medieval, so they go together that way, too," Alice continued. "And with your girlfriend in a hood as well, he sort of goes too, I guess. Pretty sure the leg-warmers aren't medieval, though," she added, around another swig.

"Leg wrappings have been around for at least a thousand years," Elias replied with a knowing smile. "And the famous Viking Ragnar Hairy-Breeks wore his trousers with the fur side out..."

"Yeah, but ," Alice raised an argumentative finger, "I'm pretty sure his trousers went up past his knees."

"...And the bodice is not terribly inaccurate, so far as these things go." He ran an appreciative hand down the satin ribbon lacing, ignoring her magnificently. "How soft is that leather bodice of yours, Chise?"

"Not very," she confessed as he reached for it; "I don't think it's real leather."

"Mm. Pity. Feel how soft mine is."

"Yeah, if you guys are going to start feeling each other up, I'm gonna need a lot more of these." Alice finished her beer, rose unsteadily, and stalked off, weaving a bit more than was strictly necessary to navigate the crowd.

Is that what we're doing? Chise wondered. Feeling each other up? She glanced sideways at Elias, who seemed to be happily absorbed in the feel of his velveteen skirt. If—if we're just feeling the cloth, and not—not actually **grabbing **each other, I don't think we are?

She tried not to peer down his cleavage as she idly wondered if he'd gotten the texture of breasts right. Did he even know what they felt like? Had he ever touched them before? Or did he think they were just flesh that stuck out, like—like a butt. She took another sip of her shandy and tried to recall if she'd ever seen them jiggle.

Focussing in from the middle distance, she realized young man was trying to make eye contact with her. As her eyes widened with the realization, he smiled, and came over.

"Hi," he called over the music, "I'm Callum. I don't think we've met. You're the new girl I keep hearing about, yeah? The one from overseas?"

"I, um, I think so? I'm from Japan..." Her insides twisted a bit. Why was he talking to her? She hadn't even seen him around the campus, that she could remember. Thank goodness Elias was right here. She scooted a hair closer to him. "I'm—I'm Chise. This is, uh, Ellie. He's—she's my—my girlfriend."

"Nice." He slipped in to sit down beside her, closer than even the narrow confines of the slightly ratty sofa warranted, and leaned across her to offer Elias his hand. Elias ignored it, eyeing him coldly. Callum shrugged. "So, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, eh? 'Ooh, Grandma, what nice tits you've got.'" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you two beautiful ladies need a strong bold huntsman to round out the party?"

This was distinctly unpleasant. Chise cringed away into Elias as much as she could, wishing she knew how to make him go away without being rude to one of the guests. Fortunately, Elias had no such qualms. "Go away. You are not wanted here."

"Hey, I'm just hanging out, making small talk. You don't need to be a bitch about it. It's a free country; there's nothing to say I can't sit here too."

"And nothing to say we must stay." Elias rose, pulling Chise with him. "Come, Chise." Wrapping his arm firmly about her waist once more, he led her from the room.

He stopped down the hallway a little ways, past the thinning crowd, and pulled her into a hug. "Are you all right, my puppy?" he murmured. "He was very unpleasant."

Chise closed her eyes, squeezing him close and breathing in his scent. "Yes. Yes, he was."

Elias gently stroked her back until her muscles started to unclench and she relaxed more into his embrace, her heart-rate slowing. "Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Yes. What time is it?"

"Not yet midnight."

Chise sighed. "That's pretty early to leave, isn't it? I don't want to disappoint Alice. And I don't like feeling like he chased us away."

"Neither do I, although I can't say I care about the party. Do you want to find somewhere quiet to sit for a while?"

"All right."

They found a quiet spot, a large overstuffed chair, around the corner and down another hall, and settled into it. Chise curled into Elias's lap, quietly amused by the way she fit, her head resting on his shoulder instead of his chest, his hair tickling her face. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his neck. "This is much nicer," she murmured.

"It is," Elias softly agreed, cuddling her back.

Idly, she plucked at the lacings criss-crossing down his front. "So... What are you basing all this on?"

He gave her a slightly puzzled look. "I'm the Big Bad Wolf. To go with your Little Red Riding Hood."

"No, I mean..." She waved her hand vaguely, feeling a bit lost for words. "I mean," she tried again, "This—your form. Your shape. What are you basing it on? Do you know what it's like?"

"Oh. This was someone I met a very long time ago. I don't really remember very much about her; she was never important to me. But I think she probably isn't alive anymore, so I don't need to worry about suddenly running into someone with the same face here. That's all."

"But, I mean, the feel of it all... Like, your hair seems real, you know?" She stroked a mauve strand that had fallen forwards out of his fur-edged hood. "And your skin, I guess." She stroked, then poked his cheek. "But, like, what about the rest of it?"

He was looking distinctly confused. "I know perfectly well what hair and skin feel like. And I don't bother with anything else; this is just an illusion, after all; I haven't changed my shape. But even if I had, I wouldn't bother with organs and bones and things I didn't need to."

Chise blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. "No, I mean—what do your breasts feel like? What are they based on? I mean, do you know what they're supposed to feel like?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I have a reasonable idea, I believe. Besides, it's unlikely that anyone else would get close enough to notice if I am mistaken. –Did you want to verify them for me?" He stuck his chest out a little.

"What? Um..." She looked up; he wore a perfectly innocent expression. Was it a little too innocent? She still had difficulties sometimes with his sense of humour; she had no idea if he was teasing her or not. "Um... What would it feel like if I did?"

He shrugged. "Like you were touching my chest. I told you, it's just an illusion. I certainly haven't grown any additional nerve endings there."

"Oh." She paused a moment in thought. "I—I suppose it would be okay, then..."

"I can see no reason why it wouldn't. You have touched my chest many times before."

"Right. Well. Okay..." She raised a cautious hand, pausing a moment before lightly brushing it down the centre of his front.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even sure you could tell what the cloth felt like with that, let alone anything beneath it."

"Oh. Um. Right. I'll, um—I'll try again." This really was harder than it ought to be, she thought, especially considering that, as he said, she had already placed her hand on his chest many, many times. But usually he just has pectorals, not breasts!

With a glance to confirm permission, she raised her hand again, and cautiously placed it over his breast. His expression didn't change. He was warm; but he always was. She squeezed slightly, judging the texture and weight, and frowned slightly.

"Is it not correct?"

"No, not quite," she said thoughtfully, giving it a slight jiggle as she tried to quantify precisely what was off. "This feels... This feels more like a thigh, or something, you know?"

"No, apparently not."

"Um." She gave another measuring squeeze. "This feels like, um, like maybe a layer of fat over muscle."

"But that's what breasts are."

"No, not really..." She struggled to put her thoughts into words. "Okay. Chest muscles, right? Pectorals are the same on men and women—except they tend to be a lot smaller in women, because we just don't have the same muscle mass. Right? And then breasts are a unique tissue over top of that. They're a different feel from just fat, sort of—sort of squishier, I guess?" She sat up a bit and squeezed her own breast with her free hand, trying to judge the difference. "And they aren't a perfectly even texture, not quite..."

"Hm. Let me see..." He raised a hand to her own free breast, comparing it to his other one.

"See, yours feels kind of like you have a muscle extending out into the breast, kind of like a bicep."

"Ah, yes! And that's incorrect, isn't it?" He jiggled hers up and down a bit. "Yes, the breast is distinctly separate tissue from the underlying muscle structure, isn't it? Hm. Give me a moment." He frowned, and his breast shifted somehow under her hand, an odd, almost squirmy sort of feeling.Like a squirrel running back into its burrow , she thought, and giggled slightly. "There. Is that better?"

She squeezed again, weighing and comparing his new breast to hers. "Yes, that's right!"

"Good. Thank you." They smiled at each other, and he gave her breast a slight pat.

" Really , guys?"

Chise yanked her hands down with a guilty start as Alice rounded the corner.

"Seriously, what the hell are you two up to? –No, you know what, I don't even want to know." She waved her hands over Chise's stammering explanation. "Just was wondering if you'd left. Knock yourselves out. Grope away. Glad you're having fun." She turned with an eyeroll and left, shaking her head with a last muttered, "Weirdos."

Chise cringed in embarrassment. "Um. Elias? You can let go, now."

"Ah. Of course." He lowered his hands with apparent unconcern.

"Ah. Of course." He lowered his hands with apparent unconcern.

"We, um—we probably shouldn't do that sort of thing."

His head tilted. "What sort of thing?"

"You know." She gestured vaguely at their respective torsos, and made slight grabby-grabby motions.

"You shouldn't have touched me?"

"Probably not."

"But you have touched me many times."

"I know..."

"You were helping me to adjust my illusion."

"I know."

His jaw dropped open as he forgot to animate his mouth. "You are my bride."

He sounded confused, and slightly distressed. Chise smiled at him, and gently stroked his cheek. "I am."

His mouth shut with a snap as she leaned in to embrace him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I am."

"Then it's perfectly fine," he said, decisively, straightening slightly.

"I expect it is," she soothed.

"Several others were also doing the same thing."

"Yes, I expect so."

"Perhaps it is because I was not also kissing you?"

Chise gave a quiet laugh. "Yes, that must be it."

"Well, that seems very simple, then." He grasped her shoulders, pulling her back so he could see her eye-to-eye. "Should I kiss you?"

Chise's eyes widened. It was a perfectly logical train of thought for him to follow, so she wasn't quite sure why she was so surprised by his conclusion...

"Chise?" He gently raised her chin, his fingers warm and soft against her skin.

"Um... Okay," she squeaked.

His eyes were gentle as he slowly leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers. They were warm and soft as he held motionless for a long, sweet moment, before pulling back. "There," he murmured; "Now it's acceptable, yes?"

Chise let her eyes drift closed for a moment before she smiled back at him. "Yes."

"Good."

"There you are!" An unfamiliar, male voice rang out, making Chise jump. Elias's eyes narrowed. The student from the room was stalking down the hallway towards them, looking distinctly aggressive. "I was talking to you! You don't walk away from me ; I walk away from you. Get it?"

Chise cringed away from him into Elias. She'd had too much experience with angry people to have any doubts about what would come next. First the anger, then the shouting—then the fists.

"Then walk away." Elias's voice was calm, his eyes steady, but she could hear the anger underneath, feel the tenseness in his muscles. She tried to relax, curling into his tightening embrace, knowing he would, that he easily could protect her. But the student was standing too close to the chair, all but leaning over them, fists clenched, breathing harsh, and Elias was just a small woman, too small , her brain shouted, too small to keep us safe —

"I'll walk away when I'm finished with you," Callum growled. "When I'm finished! You hear?" He kicked the side of the armchair. "How dare you embarrass me like that in front of all my—"

Chise's stomach dropped out from under her as she was suddenly lifted as Elias rose, and instinctively clutched his neck.

There was no need, though; his arms were firm around her, possessive, as he loomed over the young man, horns all but scraping the ceiling, red eyes alight with rage as he glared down at him as his robes settled about him from his sudden transformation. "How dare," Elias hissed, his maw threatening his suddenly-pallid face, "How dare you speak to my bride in such a manner. How dare you treat her like that!" He took a step forward, snapping his jaws shut mere inches from his nose. "Whelp!—"

Whatever further insult he was going to hurl was lost, however, as the boy's terrified eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled into a little limp heap, a distinctly damp patch spreading across the front of his trousers.

"I was going to kick him out," Alice remarked, sauntering up, "But it looked like you had it under control, and I think I like this better. Asshole. Sorry about him. You okay?" She looked up at Chise, who met her concerned eyes with a slightly watery smile.

"I think so, yes," she replied, still clinging tight to Elias's neck.

Elias's eyes narrowed. "Your guest list requires pruning."

"Hey, don't blame me ; I didn't invite him. He was Amber's plus-one." She gave his side a small kick as he stirred briefly and groaned. "Wanker. Didn't think he'd go this far, though. —You two're leaving, I guess." It was more of a statement than a question, but Chise nodded anyways.

"Yes, I think so."

"Yeah, okay." She sighed. "I'm sorry he was such a dick to you guys. I wouldn't have let him in if I'd known he was going to be like that. He won't be here next time."

"I will report him to the College's administration in the morning," Elias said, still glaring down at him.

"Good. It'll probably mean more to them coming from you, unfortunately. Meanwhile, though, I think I'll get a hand and dump him in the bathrooms. He can sober up in there." She fished out her phone and snapped a few quick shots of him. "That's to remind him to behave," she responded to Chise's querying glance. "You guys head out. I've got this. I'll see you Monday, Chise?"

"All right." Chise waved goodbye as Elias, still cradling her close, stepped directly over their assailant without breaking stride. The last thing she saw as she looked back over his shoulder was Callum, still lying on the carpet, frozen in horror, his face a groggy rictus of terror.

She wasn't quite sure she should feel so glad about it; but seeing the way he jumped and burst into tears as Alice hauled him upright by his collar as they rounded the corner did feel deeply satisfying.


	3. Chapter 3

When they reached the corridor that left the dorms, Chise sighed. "You'd better put me down now, I guess."

Elias stopped, tilting his head in curiosity. "Why?"

"Well, if we had to change your illusion so that no one would realize that it was my teacher going to the party with me, it probably wouldn't be good for you to be seen carrying me out, either..."

"Mm. Okay." Carefully, he set her on her feet, and with a brief swirl of shadow, resumed his costumed illusion. Taking his hand, Chise gave it a quick squeeze, which he returned with a curve of his artificial lips.

They walked out of the College in companionable silence— although Chise did notice Elias's new tendency to narrow his eyes in undisguised hostility at each male student they passed.

Her own eyes widened slightly in surprise as they passed their usual portal to their back-roads shortcut without slowing. "Aren't we going home?"

"I thought that, considering the time of night and the nature of this one in particular, it might be better to take the train."

"Yes, of course."

"Unless you'd rather not?"

"No, the train is fine," she smiled, linking her arm through his. 

* * *

The walk (or rather, to be fair, the stroll) to the station was uneventful, although their costumes did attract a few second looks, and Chise began to relax. Despite a smattering of other costumed celebrants, the night was not much rowdier than any other. Elsewhere it might be Hallowe'en; it might even be Samhain. But in the ancient city of London, what it mostly was, was Friday.

The platform itself was all but abandoned, the night still too early for pub-goers to be drifting home, and they found a bench with ease. Chise snuggled into Elias's side with a small sigh off appreciation; the night was growing chill, and her cloak was thin.

Elias, for his part, seemed unaffected, even slightly distracted.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary…"

"Hm?"

"I'm trying to remember a rhyme I heard," he explained. "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With slime and snails, and… puppy-dog tails, and… pretty maids all in a row?"

Chise giggled. "That can't _possibly_ be right."

Elias frowned, and tried again. "Alice, Alice, full of malice..."

Chise laughed outright. "Now you're just being silly."

"Perhaps a little," he admitted, slipping his arm around her waist and giving her a squeeze. " Are you cold? You're shivering."

"Maybe a little."

"The train will be here soon; I can hear it," he said, looking up. "You'll be warmer in there."

"All right." Chise tried to snuggle closer, and let her eyes drift closed. _Just for a moment_, she thought. It had been a long night. 

* * *

It was the chill on her cheek that awoke her, a frosty contrast to the warmth engulfing the rest of her. Familiar, gentle rocking almost lulled her back to sleep, but something about the cold and the stillness and the wan light on her eyelids pulled her to wakefulness.

She was cradled in Elias's arms, the front of his warm woollen robe closed snugly over her as he strode along in silence. A gibbous moon hung low and bright before them, shining across the empty countryside with a stark, weird light, the shadows inky black and razor sharp.

She looked up at him, his red eyes shining bright within his empty sockets, his white skull seeming to float, faintly glowing in the moonlight, above the all-but-invisible darkness of his robe. _Carried off by a haunt,_ she muzzily thought to herself, and giggled slightly.

Elias glanced sideways down at her, never breaking stride. "Ah, you're awake. Warm enough?"

"Yes, thank you," she smiled, burrowing closer into his warmth.

"Good. We'll be home soon; I expect Silky will have something warm for us to drink when we arrive."

"There's no hurry. This is nice."

He cuddled her a bit closer. "It is."

"Happy Hallowe'en, Elias."

"Happy Hallowe'en, Chise… My pretty maid." 

* * *

A/N: The plan was always to have a third chapter, to properly wrap things up and to see them back home again. And I really was intending to have it finished for Hallowe'en, I swear! You know. In 2018.

Writer's block is a hell of a thing. Aargh.

But I managed to get this chapter going, finally, a few weeks ago! Great! I could maybe finish it up and get it posted for this year, at least! :D Aaaand then I woke up, around 2 am on November 1st, and said, "BUGGER." XD

So, here! Finally finished it! Fun game to play: see if you can spot the point where I started writing while freezing my ass off in an arena in Canada in mid-October, ha ha!

Seriously, though, thanks so much for your patience! And Happy Hallowe'en, and have a blessed Samhain! ~Kryss


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